Your Views: Mandela promoted ID in order to vote

One Wisconsin Now (OWN), a union-funded nonprofit organization that takes liberties with the facts in order to promote its liberal agenda, stepped in it last week.

Gov. Walker put out a dignified statement praising Nelson Mandela as a global leader for freedom. Scot Ross, executive director of OWN, responded that Mandela was a global leader for freedom because he fought to ensure no South African was denied the right to vote.

Of course, here in Wisconsin, Walker and Republicans are trying to take away the right of minorities and the elderly to vote by requiring IDs. You already need an ID to do most everything, including signing up for the infamous Obamacare. If you don’t have an ID, the voter ID law makes provisions for that. But don’t let the facts stop a liberal story.

If OWN knew about the steps Mandela took to protect the integrity of the ballot, it would not have raised the issue. Mandela supported voter ID and required each citizen intending to vote to have two identical color photographs and a certified copy of the person’s birth certificate.

OWN believes that, in order to honor Mandela’s legacy, Republicans should emulate him. I agree. Mandela was photographed wearing a shirt that said, “Get an ID. Register. Vote.” The constitution Mandela signed and promoted required a valid government-issued ID to register as well as to vote.

I’m glad OWN recognizes that reasonable efforts must be made to ensure the validity of every ballot cast.